450,000gns Blackbeard Filly Impresses At Tattersalls Book 1

A well-bred filly from the first crop of Cartier champion 2YO Blackbeard made a fine impression at Tattersalls Book 1 on Tuesday when selling to Ralph Beckett for 450,000gns.

The Newsells Park Stud-consigned yearling is out of the Kentucky Dynamite mare Alfea, making her a half-sister to Sunday’s Group 1 Prix de l'Opera winner Barnavara (by Calyx).

Newsells Park’s general manager Julian Dollar said: “She’s a lovely filly who we bought as a foal here [at Tattersalls] last year and we fell in love with her.

“We were then lucky enough that her sister has gone on to do great things, Barnavara winning a Listed, Group 3, Group 2 and then the Prix de l'Opera on Sunday. She really helped us out but she [this filly] was always a lovely, lovely filly."

He added of the daughter of Blackbeard: “It’s a bit bittersweet actually, I mean we got a good price for her, but I would have quite happily raced her. I really liked her.”

The filly hails from a family that includes dual French Classic hero Lope De Vega, German Group 1 scorer Danceteria and the Group-winning and top-level-placed Lady Frankel.